Report: Seahawks place franchise tag on Trufant

KIRKLAND, Wash. -- The Seattle Seahawks officially made
their initial move to keep Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Trufant from
free agency by designating him as their franchise player for 2008
on Thursday.

The team announced that Trufant is still free to negotiate with
any other team when free agency begins March 1. That means Seattle
used the non-exclusive franchise tag, which allows the Seahawks to
match any offer or receive two first-round draft choices if they
decide not to match.

Should he decide to sign the tender offer, Trufant would be
guaranteed $9,465,000 for 2008, currently the average of the top
five salaries for cornerbacks in the league. He could still sign a
long-term contract with the Seahawks by July.

Seahawks president and general manager Tim Ruskell expects
Trufant will sign the tender -- or will eventually sign a multiyear
deal to stay with the hometown team that drafted the native of
Tacoma, Wash., 11th overall in 2003 out of Washington State.

"We are excited that Marcus will remain a Seahawk," Ruskell
said. "We will continue to talk with his representative in hopes
of securing a long-term deal, which is our goal."

Trufant is coming off his best NFL season, with eight
interceptions and his first Pro Bowl appearance. The day after the
Seahawks lost in the NFC divisional playoffs at Green Bay Jan. 12,
Trufant sounded as if he would like to negotiate with other teams.
He said he was "a little curious" o test the free-agent market
for the first time.

"I know the organization loves me," Trufant said then. "But
that only goes so far. There's always a business side of it. We may
want things to be done exactly how we want them to be done, but it
can't always be that way.

"I really don't have control over a lot of things ... so I just
got to wait around and see what happens."

Trufant's agent, Mike Sullivan, did not immediately return a
message left on his cell phone Thursday seeking word on what
Trufant's next move may be.

Seattle used its franchise tag for last year on kicker Josh
Brown, a valuable scorer whom the team would also love to keep for
2008. Brown's agent, Rob Roche, said Brown is now on the verge of
leaving through unrestricted free agency that begins March 1.

"Obviously, he has an opportunity at this point based on them
franchising Trufant," Roche said in a telephone interview upon
arriving in Indianapolis for the NFL rookie combine.

He said he has had recent negotiations with Seattle but nothing
that makes a long-term agreement for Brown imminent.

"We probably, most likely, will still talk to the Seahawks
between now and then," Roche said of next weekend.

The team is now more likely to lose one or perhaps all three to
free agency, given its lack of room under the salary cap. The
Seahawks are committing $9.5 million to Trufant following the new
contract believed to be for about $3 million per year they recently
gave to Mike Wahle to be their starting left guard.

As expected, the Seahawks chose to use the franchise designation
on Trufant instead of Brown or Locklear. It's the easier route.
Trufant can command millions more in a multiyear deal than can the
others, because of his recent excellence at what is seen as the
second-toughest position, next to quarterback. Quarterback is the
only position with a richer average among top five salaries than
cornerback.

The price tag for free-agent cornerbacks went up when the San
Francisco 49ers signed Nate Clements to an $80 million, eight-year
contract last offseason.